MORE PICTURES OUT THE CAR WINDOW

We drove from Sulphur LA to La Place LA, taking the long meandering route via the Gulf coast, and then up through the sugar plantations. We stopped at Laura Plantation for a tour of that historic property. We caught the last tour of the day.

PICTURES TAKEN OUT THE CAR WINDOW

As we drove from NS to TX, here is some of what we saw out the window (plus a few snaps taken of us as we drove along the highway, smiling)

PICTURES FROM CHRISTMAS EVE

Here are snapshots taken at Elspeth's friends' home on Christmas Eve.

CHRISTMAS DAY

Our long drive, through eastern USA, ended in Uvalde TX, at Elspeth's home. She lives in a tiny cottage at the edge of town. There are animals in the fields, visible outside the windows. Elspeth has been up since early hours today. She has baked a pie, cooked a roast, and is generally puttering around, being busy, as Elspeth is. We drove through snow and rain, from New Hampshire to Texas. Snaps out the window follow. One joy was a stopover in Dallas, to visit a friend from Botswana - Jerry. He feted us in classic fashion. We were reluctant to leave his home, but Elspeth was expecting us in Uvalde.

DECEMBER TRIP FIRST DAYS

Finally, our trip has begun. Destination: Uvalde Texas, then back via Daytona Beach, Florida. We began on Friday night, left home as soon as we were packed and headed down the highway a smilin'. Nigel had to stop to drop off a key lock at the house trailer that he and Jason are trying to sell. This is in Shubenacadie, NS. Thankfully, it was enroute to our destination. So, we drove along Highway 14 to that little town, attached the key lock, and then drove on to Amherst. The Cobiquid Pass was clear, and we made the decision to cross over the pass and to then stop in Amherst. Getting that far was a huge relief. It meant an earlier start in the morning, and as a result, it meant that we would arrive at Cousin Rick's before dark. Saturday morning gave us a slightly delayed start. We were not exactly leisurely but somehow the minutes zipped past and we left at 0900 instead of 0800, as we had hoped. However, all was not lost - it was still within our time parametres. That highway from Moncton was a joy to drive. Of course, having a clear crisp day was helpful, but having a wide smooth dry road was superbe. We zoomed along, eating up the miles, and suddenly we were at the border crossing to Houlton ME. USImmigration took 20 minutes to process Nigel's visa. I drew a blank about Elspeth's physical address, but thankfully Nigel had the information for our time-share in Daytona Beach. That's where he will be staying for the week after New Year's Day. I shall be flying back to Nova Scotia on 2 January...he will be having a man-alone holiday for a week. We had a lottery based on how long it would take to get Nigel processed...and I won. I was exactly correct with a 20 minute bet. Nigel is now able to come and go in the USA for the next 6 months without any issue. As we entered Maine, we could see Mount Katahdin straight ahead of us. This is the highest point in Maine. It was snowcapped, and sparkling in the distance. We skirted around it, as we drove down I95 towards Bangor and onward towards New Hampshire. The drive was uneventful. We just kept moving down the road at 110 km per hour, encountered no incidents, and seamlessly drove into Rick and Renee's yard at about 1700 - nearly 2 hours ahead of our expected arrival. Robert, their son, was just going out the door to play at a music lesson concert. He is studying drums, and is playing is an ensemble to get some concert experience. Renee and I went to the concert. IT was very good - tuneful, and Robert did a good job with the drumming. It is amazing how complicated it can be - each hand plays at a different rhythm, and the foot plays differently again. Very intriguing, and impressive indeed. Robert is doing very well with his playing. He certainly seems to have a talent for it. Meanwhile, back at home, Nigel was chatting with Rick while he was preparing a delicious supper - chili. We came home to supper, and plenty of good conversation. The weather channel - we were watching TV after supper - indicated that a huge snowstorm was moving up the eastern seaboard of the USA. Great quantities of snow were falling - up to 60 cm in Washington. This has wrecked havoc with the plan to drive towards Texas today. We are snowbound today. Thankfully we have a lovely, warm and welcoming home in which to spend the day, waiting for the weather to clear. We are blessed to have this extra time to visit with Rick and Renee. And we shall get to Texas eventually...maybe it will be Christmas Day when we arrive, but that will be quite acceptable.

DECEMBER DAYS

By the look of it outside, we have finally begun receiving the miserable winter weather. There is wet, solid rain falling with a vengeance this morning. Snow is predicted, and we have those wet flakes landing on the front verandah at this very moment. Aargh. Nigel says that it is not snow untile it settles...it is just an illusion. Winter...not for the faint of heart.